Jerome Baker – November 20, 2019
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Wednesday, November 20, 2019
LB Jerome Baker
(Is it a little bit different for you going back to your hometown area to play in the Cleveland Browns stadium?) – “It’s definitely a different feeling. It’s definitely different. I definitely had to buy about 20 tickets already. I’m definitely grateful. I’m excited for my grandparents to get to see me play, my aunts, my uncles. Just my family gets to see me play. I’m happy to go back and hopefully will come back with a win.”
(I know every game is special because you’re trying to get a win, but does this feel a little bit different because of where you’re going and like you said, your grandparents are going to be there?) – “Yeah. On a personal level, it’s going to feel different for me just to know how many people are in the stands. I think we all know I look and see who’s in the stands. I’m excited just to see my family. See them watch me play is going to mean a lot. I just want to go out there and just get a win in front of them.”
(Your grandparents, have they seen you play in the NFL before?) – “Not in person. A lot of my family haven’t seen me play in person yet in the league. My grandparents, they’re older, so they really can’t travel as much. Honestly, only my parents really saw me really play. Everybody else has just seen me on TV. To see them before the game, see them after the game, it’s going to be a different feeling, so I’m definitely excited.”
(How many requests have you gotten?) – “What I did was I bought a certain amount of tickets. I told my friends I’ll handle that with them and I gave the rest to my mom, so she’s the ‘yes, no,’ whatever she wants to do with it, so I let her do it.”
(How many?) – “So far I’ve got 20 tickets and I’m using about five and my parents get the rest.”
(Are they all going to sit together?) – “Yeah. That’s what we’re trying to figure out. I’m sure everybody is going to be splattered around. It’s going to be good.”
(Matching shirts I hope?) – “No, I hope not. (laughter) That would be kind of corny; but if they do, I’ll get a laugh out of that one.”
(Any Browns fans in the group?) – “Sadly. My whole family is Browns fans but when it comes to me, they’ll wear Dolphins gear. There’s definitely a lot of love.”
(Is it almost surreal to be playing in an environment where you look up and you see the Dawg Pound? There’s that childhood emotion for you, but also you’re playing for the Dolphins?) – “Yeah, it’s definitely going to be exciting. Just to grow up a Browns fan and grow up in Cleveland, you know how powerful the Dawg Pound is. You know what that football team mean to that city. I’m on the opposite end, but Cleveland is home so I’m definitely excited. Hopefully I leave happy and everybody there leaves upset. Hopefully I get the win.”
(The tickets you got for your family aren’t in the Dawg Pound I hope?) – “No. I wouldn’t put them there. (laughter)”
(Were you old enough to remember the team leaving?) – “No. They left (in) what 1996? I was born in 1996, so I wasn’t even…”
(Do you remember them coming back?) – “No, I was still too young. (laughter)”
(Just so we’re clear, your family is going to be rooting for the Dolphins on Sunday?) – “Yes. They better be rooting for the Dolphins. (laughter) My family, they’re family. They’re going to root for whoever, but they’re definitely going to root for me. My dad, even when I got drafted here, he was saying he was going to root for me when we play the Browns. It’s definitely a lot of love, so I appreciate them.”
(How old are your grandparents?) – “Old. (laughter) They’re old.”
(WR Jakeem Grant’s brother couldn’t shake, when he went home, rooting for the other team. Is there one family member who you’re a little bit worried about who might secretly be cheering for the Browns?) – “Family member? I would say my friends. They go to the Browns game pretty much every week. So I’m excited to see what they’re going to pull off. I know a lot of my friends, they love the Browns, so I’m expecting one of them is going to wear a Dolphins jersey but (a) Browns hat or something like that and you’re not going to be able to see the Dolphins jersey, because they’re going to have a coat on. That’s something they’re going to do, but I’m just happy that my family and friends get to see me play.”
Ryan Fitzpatrick – November 20, 2019
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Wednesday, November 20, 2019
QB Ryan Fitzpatrick
(What do you believe is the ideal starting time for a good dinner?) – “(laughter) For me, it’s difficult because it’s get dictated by sports a little bit. If sports were out of the equation, I would be a 6 p.m. on-the-dot…”
(Early.) – “What do you mean early? (laughter) 4:30 sometimes. Depends on what’s in the Crock Pot that day.”
(How are you even hungry at that hour?) – “Sometimes you’re not. You’ve just got to force that third meal down.”
(Do seven sacks make you rethink your career?) – “No, I’ve been hit plenty.”
(You’ve actually only had one game where you’ve had more sacks. I was surprised to see that.) – “Yeah, but sometimes getting sacked doesn’t hurt as much as some of the other ones. It’s just one of those things – we went back, looked at the film and just like we had talked about, there’s a number of things that happen there. It’s not just one quick solution or one group. There are a lot of things I think I can solve whether pre- or post-snap and getting the ball out, so I’m going to control the things that I can control in that area and try to get better and take some pressure off those guys.”
(Has the fact that Head Coach Brian Flores is trying to win, that you’re starting, that the goal is to succeed – despite everything else that gets suggested and said and done – does that raise his respect level in the locker room?) – “The answer to the very long, complicated question – because there’s a lot of things that go into that – is yes. It does. I think – and I think one of the things you pointed to is me being out there – I just think that decision is made knowing that we’re trying to win football games. Not to say that the other guy isn’t as good or whatever it is, but if you look at a really old crusty guy and a young guy that everyone wants to see; for me to be out there, that means we’re trying to win football games and that definitely resonates throughout the team.”
(Did you, at any point, wonder if it was going to go the other way because of that? Because one guy is younger with upside and the other guy is towards the end?) – “I mean I’ve been – towards the end? What are you talking about, ‘towards the end?’ (laughter) I’ve got one foot in the grave. (laughter) I’ve seen it every which-way, but just continue truly to focus one week at a time and put everything I have in the next opponent. That’s kind of what I have learned over the years, the best way to do it, and that’s the way I approach it.”
(So what you’re saying is you want to play next year?) – “(laughter) Don’t be twisting my words.”
(A little bit of – this may come at your expense – but is there any part of you that kind of wants to see what QB Josh Rosen can do if he gets back out there?) – “I mean, I want to play. I’ve developed a good relationship with Josh and there’s a lot of things I think that, as a quarterback, whether you’re playing or sitting back and observing, there’s a lot of ways and things that you can learn; but selfishly, I want to be out there playing.”
(RB Kalen Ballage is the starter, but he’s averaging less than 2 yards per carry. What have you said, what do you want him to know – I’m sure you’ve tried to help in some way?) – “I think – not just with Kalen but with a lot of guys and even me throughout my career – confidence is such a big thing, and sometimes it just takes one big run or a big catch. Some of the stuff that Kalen did last week in pass protection was so valuable to what we were trying to accomplish and something that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet, so there are a lot of ways that he helps us; but we’ve got to get him going a little better. There are different ways to do that, but I think confidence is a huge thing and I think with everybody – especially just being a young team – that’s what you continue to stress. When you don’t think about all the things that could go wrong and all the different things in a play and just go out there confident and play football like you have since you were a kid, a lot of times it works out for the better.”
(Kind of in the same vein – do you need to get WR Albert Wilson more involved in this offense, and if so, how?) – “I think with obviously Preston’s (Williams) injury a couple weeks ago, just relying on different guys now. (There are) more balls to go around. We talked about that. I missed him a couple times in this last game where had an opportunity to have a couple catch-and-runs. The great thing about this offense is the ball’s going to get spread around. Everybody’s going to get their opportunities. It’s just a matter of me doing a nice job picking and choosing who gets the opportunity and when and then those guys taking advantage of it; so not necessarily going to force it to one guy because he doesn’t have enough touches, but we’ll try to spread it out and just continue to be confident in all those guys.”
(What do you see in the Browns defense?) – “It’ll look a little bit different, obviously with a couple of the suspensions and (Morgan) Burnett with the Achilles injury, so there will be some moving parts and pieces that we’ll have to figure out a little bit on Sunday in terms of who will be out there. They’ve been really productive all year and just like every week, for us the focus is really going to be on us and improving and getting better and taking care of some of the little things that we had been doing a better job at that all of a sudden last week, they crept up on us again. We’ve got a lot of things just in-house that we can fix as an offense that we’re focusing on this week.”
(How are you feeling after last week’s game and I guess as a whole, how have you kind of kept your body in the shape you need to be playing every week?) – “I feel good. Nobody’s going to write a book about my training regiment or my diet (laughter) – I know that – but I was talking to Lorenzo Alexander, a 15-year guy as well, before the game. There’s just some years for whatever reason you get bumps and bruises and stuff lingers all year-long, and then there’s other years where you’re getting hit a bunch, but nothing really lingers and that’s kind of where I’m at right now. I feel really good body-wise and everything else and just having – I’ve kind of been lucky this year in that regard because I don’t know if there’s a rhyme or reason to it, but right now I’m as healthy as can be.”
(Are you confident you’ll be able to finish the season here, playing each game?) – “Yeah, I feel as good right now as I did – I was going to say Day 1 of the offseason, (laughter) but maybe like, a few weeks into the offseason when I got back into shape. I feel really good right now.”
(In Year 15, can you still make all the same throws you made in Year 1? Is your arm the same?) – “Yeah, and I never – my whole (career) – I never had to rely on, or never had a big arm, so there’s a lot of different things that I do either to counteract that or just the way that I play and knowing my limitations and my strengths. But yeah, my arm is as strong, if not stronger now than it’s probably ever been. That’s not saying much – probably still puts me in the bottom half in the league.”
(You do put your entire body into it at times, I see.) – “I have to. (laughter)”
(The team made a bunch of roster moves again today. What has it been like for you to see so many players come and go all season-long?) – “It’s been a unique year and that comes up sometimes with injuries and other things, but there’s been a lot of kind of churning on the bottom of the roster and just a lot of turnover…”
(Starters, too.) – “You just, you try to make the best out of it. I think some of it is you find the guys that you can rely on and lean on those guys a little bit, and other guys, you’ve got to try to get up to speed and they’ve got to get it figured out or there’ll be another guy in the next week. There’s a lot of those things that we don’t control as players. We just go out there and play. That’s kind of how we have to approach it.”
(As a QB, are you cognizant of touches – what other guys may have in-game?) – “I mean, yes and no. It depends on – like when I was playing with Brandon Marshall, I didn’t have to be cognizant of it because he always let me know. (laughter) You know Brandon. It depends and you’ll go into – we go into games liking matchups and wanting to exploit matchups or get guys touches and balls, so sometimes we’ll feel like we’re a little light in one category – not attacking what we wanted to attack and go there, but a lot of times – again, in this offense, we’re going to spread the ball around a lot to different guys. Everybody – you saw Patrick Laird who really stepped up big at the end of the game last week, he got thrown in there and all of a sudden gets five, six catches or whatever it was. You never really know when your number is going to get called, but if you do well, usually your number will get called again.”
Eric Rowe – November 20, 2019
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Wednesday, November 20, 2019
S Eric Rowe
(You’re the veteran now in the secondary. S Bobby McCain and S Reshad Jones are done for the season and there’s a lot of young guys. How does your role change a little bit?) – “Really, I just have to over-communicate with Bobby, Reshad and ‘X’ (Xavien Howard out). Everyone kind of got the gist of it but now, as you can see, more than 80 percent of the secondary weren’t even here in training camp. Now for me, it’s just more of the communication. Guys know what to do but in a game, (I’m) giving them that reminder.”
(Do you feel snake-bitten? Because a lot has happened with this unit and it seems like you guys just have to roll with the punches every week.) – “Yeah, that’s just how the NFL goes. You’ve just got to keep going each week. You can’t sulk … you just have to pick it up and go.”
(What’s your comfort level at safety now after doing it about six weeks?) – “I have a pretty good comfort level. I’m getting the run fits now. That’s something that as a corner, you don’t really do that – reading run fits. So I’m getting the hang of that. Obviously covering tight ends – not just covering tight ends but as far as being back there, I’m getting pretty comfortable.”
(Have you met S Adrian Colbert before today? Had you known him?) – “No. Just met him today. (laughter)”
Brian Flores – November 20, 2019
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Wednesday, November 20, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores
(Two things, which is better than seven questions, I guess; but one would be on S Bobby McCain, how do you like how the transition to safety went this year? Do you view him as a long-term piece at safety? And on DT Gerald Willis, just what he showed you on the practice squad the last few weeks that made you think he could he could conceivably be a good NFL defensive lineman?) – “Starting with Bobby, I thought just from a communication (and) leadership standpoint, helping his teammates get lined up and then he’s just a good overall football player. I thought the transition to safety was a good one and one this team needed. He played well for us, obviously until the unfortunate injury. Then Gerald – he’s a young tackle who’s got some athleticism, some quickness and some pass-rush ability. He showed at practice that he can play both run and pass. We’ll try to give him an opportunity to earn a role this week. I am happy with both guys.”
(With RB Mark Walton – any regrets? I know you said you think people are deserving of second chances. Any regrets on giving Mark a second chance?) – “It’s an unfortunate situation. We felt like we had to make the move to release him. That’s what it is; but yeah, an unfortunate situation. You never want to see anything like that happen. Tough.”
(Does the failure there going forward make you rethink how you evaluate character?) – “I think we as an organization – (General Manager) Chris (Grier), (Vice President of Football Administration) Brandon (Shore) – obviously we – character is something we spend a lot of time on. In this case, it didn’t work out with Mark (Walton), but it’s case by case. I think that’s kind of the thought process for us as a staff and as an organization.”
(What are you hoping LB Andrew Van Ginkel can bring to the defense?) – “When we drafted him, we thought we were getting a young, physical, smart, tough, young player. (He) can play a few different roles and has some pass rush, has some set-edge ability, has some special teams value; so we’ll see. (He) did a good job early in training camp and last week he strung a couple of good practices together, so we’ll see how that goes (and) see if he can carve out a role for himself this week.”
(QB Ryan Fitzpatrick will start for you guys this week?) – “Yes.”
(Is there a scenario you see short of injury that QB Josh Rosen starts a game for this team the rest of the season?) – “I don’t have a crystal ball, so anything can happen from that standpoint. ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) has done a good job. Rosen is obviously developing in practice. I know you guys don’t see that, but he’s definitely making some strides. To sit here and say it’ll be one guy the whole way, I’ve done that before and I was wrong then, so you just never know.”
(What does QB Josh Rosen need to do to win that job back then?) – “Josh just needs to try to improve every day, try to get better on a daily basis and improve on getting the ball out on time, getting the ball out quickly, game management, just overall and again, I think he is improving. We’ll see how it goes.”
(Can you talk about the challenge of facing an offense with as many dynamic playmakers as the Browns have?) – “It’s definitely a big challenge. They’re everywhere. They just brought up the tight end – (David) Njoku. From (Jarvis) Landry to (Odell) Beckham to (Nick) Chubb to (Kareem) Hunt to (Baker) Mayfield, on and on and on. Yeah, we’re going to have to play very good team defense to stop this high-powered offense. They really have guys really everywhere – offensively, defensively and on special teams. It’s a good team. It’ll be a really tough challenge for us.”
(Regarding S Reshad Jones – he’s a guy who’s spent a long time with the organization. Did you get to know him very well because I know he wasn’t here for all of the offseason program and what are your thoughts on him?) – “I think – yeah, I’ve gotten to know him very well, and I think this is a tough, very, very good player. (He’s a) good person as well. I like Reshad a lot. I think he brings a toughness, a grittiness, a love of the game. He brought a lot to this team. Then getting to know him, you could see why he’s been such a productive player for a long time.”
(Do those things convince you that S Reshad Jones should be part of the organization moving forward?) – “I’m just thinking, honestly I haven’t thought about that, to be quite honest. When a guy goes down, that’s not the first thing that comes to mind. You’re just worried about the kid and him getting healthy, but yeah. This is a good player who’s been productive in this league for a long time. You’ve got me on that one. It wasn’t something I’ve really thought about. You kind of – when a guy goes on IR, you think about really the next day, the next couple days, how that’s going to impact him; so no, I haven’t thought about that, but just off the top of my head, yeah, I think this is a guy who’s showed that he can play in this league – still play in this league – and we’ll see how that goes.”
(What did you see in S Adrian Colbert to warrant adding him to the roster?) – “(We) saw a young player who has speed, has athleticism, has started games in this league. We just felt like he’s a guy who Chris (Grier), Brandon (Shore) and the personnel staff have done a lot of evaluations on and kind of had an eye on him for a while. We just felt like with the losses at the position, this was the best guy available and we’ll get him involved today and over the course of the week and see if he can carve out a role for himself on Sunday. We’ll see.”
(You’re in a kind of unique situation being one of the youngest coaches in the league and having a quarterback – Ryan Fitzpatrick – kind of close in age to you. What’s your relationship been like with him and what’s it kind of been to kind of see him bounce back up after every hit, have a smile on his face all of the time, showing his love for the game?) – “It’s great to see that. You want that really from every position, especially the quarterback position. He’s tough. He’s a leader. Guys rally around him. He loves to play. He loves to practice. Whether you’re a young coach or an old coach, you want to see that out of every player whether he’s a younger player or an older player. That leadership by example to a young team is something that I think is valuable.”
(I know you said you don’t have a crystal ball here, but QB Ryan Fitzpatrick has played really well and he’s been able to play every game this season. Is that ideal? Are you confident he’s able to finish this season?) – “I’m hopeful that all guys finish, that they can – that’s something we talk about – finishing games, finishing practice, finishing really everything we do. Yeah, I’d love to see him and the rest of this team finish and stay healthy and continue to grow, build and improve; so yeah. I don’t know if that answers the question…”
(Was the WR Gary Jennings thing something that you think he can recover from to be back from the offseason program? Were there flashes you saw in his week and a half here that intrigued you about the future because he’s obviously under contract for a while?) – “Yeah. Again, we talked about this last week. He’s fast. He’s young, he’s fast, he’s got size, he’s got athletic ability. He can play in the kicking game. Again, we only had him for a short period of time, but he showed some things that made us feel like we could play him in a game. I think coming back in the offseason and getting into that part of it, I think that’ll be good for him. I think he’ll be able to help us.”
(You’ve lost three starters in the last two days. That’s a lot even by NFL standards. How would you describe the challenge with the all the moving parts you’ve had in the last few weeks, getting through these last six weeks being competitive and seeing what you’ve got?) – “I think we’ve had moving parts really the entire season. It’s something that started early and there’s been a move here or there throughout the year. I think as a staff, we just try to get the guys who are going to be available to us (and) ready to play. We try to put them in good positions to play well based on their ability and really the ability of whatever unit that happens to be, whether it’s a nickel group or an 11-personnel offensive group or a kickoff return group. We just try to put the best group together. A lot of things go into that. We may have to simplify some things with this group and may be able to get more exotic with some other groups. There’s a lot of things that go into it, but a lot of it is up to the player and sets up players to make the most of their opportunities when those opportunities present themselves; and I think we’ve had a lot of guys step up when they’ve gotten an opportunity. That’s what really – I don’t want to get on a soap box – but that’s what life’s about. You get an opportunity and for whatever reason, whether its injury or we move on from somebody, another guy gets an opportunity to step in. It’s a chance for them to take advantage and try to carve out a role for themselves on this team and really in this league and create a career, or try to create a career for themselves. That’s kind of how I look at it.”
(I believe you guys were going to bring RB Mark Walton back initially, but how does it look for the rest of the running back room, particularly the rookies because now they’re going to have to carry the load?) – “He hasn’t been with us for two weeks, so it’s just what it’s been the last couple weeks. Kalen (Ballage), Myles (Gaskin), Pat Laird, ‘D. Turner’ (De’Lance Turner) – those guys, those are the guys in the room. That’s what it’s been. We’ve been without Mark for the last couple of weeks, and we just need to continue doing what we’ve been doing the last two weeks. Those guys have to step up. That’s really what it boils down to.”
Patrick Graham – November 19, 2019
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Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham
(So most importantly, who do you have in The Game this weekend?) – “In ‘The Game?’ I’m glad you referred to it as that. My focus is on Cleveland but there is only one ‘The Game’ and since that would be the Harvard-Yale game, I believe, I will say I would go with Yale. (laughter) I heard about another game that’s called ‘The Game,’ but – I was born in ’79, grew up in the 80s and they are biting off of our name. (laughter) ‘The Game.’”
(Have you spoken to QB Ryan Fitzpatrick about this situation?) – “We will. I’m sure we will, but I’m focused on the Browns for the most part right now. (laughter)”
(On a more serious note, with the pass rush, I know players were optimistic all summer that the scheme might be able to create some sack opportunities, and it has to an extent. Has it to the extent that would hope in terms of the creativity with the scheme generating sacks and pressures?) – “I think (we are) always going through self-evaluation and looking at what we’re doing. We’re trying to improve that, so I think we could do a lot of things a lot better, aside from just the sack production, but just affecting the quarterback a little bit more. We’re trying to do that and we’ll look to keep making strides on that this week against Cleveland. They’ve got a good offensive line. We’ve got to do something to affect that quarterback, but to answer your question, there’s more that we need to do and I’ve got to do a better job of coaching it, and I’ve got to do a better job of getting us to execute the way we – in terms of getting more production out of it, if that makes sense.”
(With Cleveland having so many dynamic offensive players – the two running backs, the two receivers – what do you key on? What don’t you key on? How do you prepare for that challenge?) – “I think the first thing that sticks out when you watch the tape when you’re dealing with these guys, is you have to tackle them. They’re probably – (Browns QB Baker) Mayfield’s doing a good job of getting the ball to these guys whether it’s the run or pass game. (Browns Head) Coach (Freddie) Kitchens is doing a good job of spreading the ball around. The main thing I’m going to focus on is getting them on the ground. If they get the ball, we’ve got to get them on the ground. That’s probably the No.1 thing right there. In terms of how we’re going to defend all those skill players, it’s going to be a difficult task. They present a lot of interesting challenges whether it’s in the pass game or run game, and they’re doing a good job of mixing it up where you don’t know exactly how it’s going to come at you. What we’ve got to do is do a good job of tackling, defend the field and make sure we’re cognizant of the situation and make sure we take care of that because based on the situation, it can kind of play a role into what you’re doing defensively.”
(DT John Jenkins is one of the few older players that you guys have brought in this season. Why? What attracted you to him?) – “I think the fact that he’s a stout player on the inside. Again, going back to the traits that we’re looking for defensively and it transfers from d-line all the way to the defensive backs – he plays with his hands in front of his eyes, plays with good extension, good knee bend and he’s physical and he’s tough. Then when you get a chance to meet him, you realize that he’s mentally tough, a tough-minded guy. Thankfully he’s a good athlete, as well. He’s just – one of the best things about him is his character. In terms of getting to know him over the last few months, he has one of those personalities that you love being around.”
(Do players gravitate toward DT John Jenkins?) – “I think just naturally. Like when ‘Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) kind of identifies what we’re looking for – selfless players, guys who put the team first – he’s one of those guys, and naturally guys want to be around guys like that because it’s just the personality; because he puts the team first and it’s reflected in how he carries himself, how he plays. I think anybody involved in a team sport wants to be around that.”
(How would you describe CB Jomal Wiltz’s growth from the time you got him in the offseason to now?) – “I wasn’t familiar when we got him and then you go through OTAs, then training camp – I think the world of Jomal. I think he’s one of the toughest players on the team. He plays tough. He’s productive. I will say that I’m very pleased with where he’s at, knowing that we’ve still got a ways to go in terms of where he wants to be and the standard that we have for him in terms of where we see him being, as (we’re) trying to optimize his football ability out there on the field; but I think he’s taken some real good strides in terms of improving here this year.”
(Even with S Reshad Jones back, would you like to continue seeing CB Eric Rowe primarily at safety because of his success there?) – “I think it’s all predicated based on what we’re going to do this week with the Browns just because – you guys brought it up – there’s so many challenges with their offense. There are so many challenges with their offense, and we’re still in the early phases of trying to figure out what exactly we’re going to do and how we’re going to deploy these guys; so I couldn’t answer that to be completely honest with you right now, but we’re going to put those guys in the best position that we think to help us. Right now, we’re dealing with an offense with Cleveland that’s pretty dynamic and we’re in such an early stage in terms of getting ready for them. I can’t answer, just being honest with you.”
(Do you see safety as something that’s a long-term position for CB Eric Rowe?) – “I see us using his flexibility as a player and whether it’s a safety position (or) corner, I think those – you guys asked early on about how interchangeable the guys can be – it’s an interchangeable part whether you see it as a linebacker, an outside linebacker, a safety, a corner. That’s really what the goal is, to have interchangeable parts and whether it becomes a safety role (or) a corner role, it’s just how we see fit in terms of working the matchup, if that makes sense. I’m not trying be confusing, but as interchangeable as they can be, the better off we’ll be.”
(In watching the last game on replay, in the area of run defense, what was most frustrating, disappointing that you saw?) – “I think anytime we get a number of yards, it’s just going to come back to what we’ve got to focus on this week – tackling. What we’re dealing with this week with (Nick) Chubb and with (Kareem) Hunt – we’ve got to tackle these guys. Any time you’re getting extra yards, it’s probably because of tackling. I think that’s probably the most important thing, but we’ll get to work on that, especially tomorrow. We talked about the film already, but we’ve got to get to work on that because regardless of what happened last week, last week doesn’t matter anymore; but I know that we have to improve our tackling. The tackling has to be better against Cleveland, or it’ll be a long day.”
(In that vein, how important is LB Raekwon McMillan to the run defense?) – “Raekwon – it’s not just Raekwon – I’ve got to do a better job of coaching the run defense. We’ve got to do a better job of executing. But Raekwon is an important part of the team. He’s a guy who puts in hard work and he’s a hard worker. He shows up out there on the field, so he’s an important part of our team, period, whether it’s his vocal leadership, him out on the field, but he’s an important part of the team.”
(Do you feel like guys were trying to do too much, especially in the first half against the Bills when it comes to stopping the run or were they assignment sound?) – “I think doing too much, I don’t know about that. I just think that we didn’t execute. Really, that’s what it came down to. I would hope at this level, we have the scheme to be able to help – we know what we’re trying to do to try to stop the run, but I just don’t think we executed well enough. I didn’t coach well enough. It was a combination of things; but again, I’m getting to work on that today to improve so we can beat Cleveland.”
(How do you feel this defense – when you look for it, I know when you talk about it, you hear the terms “interchangeable” and “selfless.” Where do you those two traits rank when you’re talking about the foundations of building this defense?) – “I think the selflessness because those are the guys you want to be around, in my opinion, because they put the team first. They increase the team belief (because) they’re selfless. We can build upon that. We can work the individual skills – and the interchangeability, that’s in terms of those guys being willing to accept it because it might be a different situation than what they’re used to. If guys are willing to embrace challenge of it – it’s a challenge – if they’re willing to embrace that, that’s part of being selfless. I think you have to start there first because you’re going to be in an uncomfortable situation at times.”
(On that same topic, how do you and General Manager Chris Grier and Head Coach Brian Flores know before you get a defensive player in the building that he’ll be willing to be flexible and be like an CB Eric Rowe, willing to play multiple positions – like a LB Vince Biegel. Do you guys that ask him that in the draft process?) – “That’s two interesting people that you bring up. We knew both of those guys. I knew Vince from Green Bay. ‘Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) knew Eric (Rowe) from New England. Those are like – maybe those are outliers, but in terms of if you know that guy, you know the person, Vince was a great young man when I was at Green Bay, willing to do whatever you ask him to do, so I knew that about him. So I knew that wouldn’t be a problem. You’d have to ask ‘Flo’ (about Rowe), but I’m sure ‘Flo,’ (Defensive Pass Game Coordinator/Cornerbacks Coach) Josh (Boyer) – they all knew ‘E. Rowe’ (Eric Rowe), so you have an idea. The thing is, with these young guys, if they want to be part of a team, a lot of the guys – you’ll run across a few guys that don’t want to deal with it – but a lot of these guys, if they’re involved in team sports for this long in their career, these guys are selfless. They want to do what’s best for the team, and if you explain that to them and then you point them in the right direction and then they have success with it, it usually works out for the benefit of the two of us.”
(There were two or three plays that S Bobby McCain failed to complete the tackle that stand out to me before he left the game due to injury. To be fair to Bobby, do you feel that his shoulder injury contributed to his inability to finish those plays?) – “There are so many plays from that last game…”
(Well, the two that led to touchdowns.) – “(There were) so many plays in that last game that there’s no way in the world I would put any one play on Bobby (McCain) by any stretch of the imagination, so I don’t know how to answer that just because I could have coached a lot better to prevent some of those touchdowns. I know that. That’s how I see it.”
(Are S Bobby McCain’s shoulders contributing to the issues that he has with tackling?) – “I don’t talk about that stuff.”
(How difficult would it be for your defense to adjust if S Bobby McCain cannot play because now we’ve got a second shoulder injury, and he’s kind of an important person to that secondary.) – “The injury thing, I don’t discuss it, so I don’t know what to tell you; but I know this – it’s the NFL. Everybody’s got to be ready to go.”
(CB Ken Crawley has gotten a lot of snaps on defense the last two games. What have you seen from him?) – “The ability to cover guys. He’s got a good skillset, good speed, has some experience within this league, and that’s something that you really cherish at that position and the ability just to be able to cover a guy in tight man-to-man coverage, which is a positive.”
(I think CB Nik Needham has sort of a way of positioning his body where he has a good chance to break it up. Can you kind of take me into what you guys coach and how it aligns with his strengths on pass breakups?) – “One of the things I learned – and I learned this probably in terms of just where my focus needed to be in the offseason and then just also when you’re going through the season in terms of trying to be better at the fundamentals – is football positioning. It was a high school coach that mentioned it, and I was like, ‘you know what? Here I am at the NFL level and I’m not focused on that enough.’ Good knee bend, having a good base, hands in front of your eyes, your head up looking at your keys. When guys are in position to make plays, it’s usually the guys who are in the best football position, ready to move – like playing on the outside or your inside. Everything inside your outside foot – stuff that is football position-specific, but it carries throughout the different groups whether it’s DB, linebacker, defensive line. Anytime you watch – we’re in November football right now – the people that play with good pad level, good leverage, good extension, play in a good football position while the weather is changing – obviously not here, but other places – those are the guys that are going to be successful. That’s probably the focus on it because (Needham) plays with a good base. He plays with good football position in my opinion.”
(How did CB Nik Needham grade out in the last game?) – “I mean… (laughter)”
(You’re not going to share your grades with us?) – “(laughter) I need another button. I had that one last week. I need another button. (laughter)”
(How well did CB Nik Needham play?) – “We didn’t play well enough. None of us did. None us coached well enough, we didn’t play well enough, so I don’t know how to answer – really, last week is over. We’re focused on Cleveland right now and trying to improve our tackling and playing better just overall for this week. I’m sorry.”
Chad O’Shea – November 19, 2019
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Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Offensive Coordinator Chad O’Shea
(In terms of trying to get the running game going, I know FB Chandler Cox played four snaps, had a good block obviously by the goal line. How much thought have you guys given to playing him more, to using a fullback more? What’s sort of been the thought process?) – “I think having a fullback as part of your game plan is very important. Obviously the game goes a certain way, and there are some circumstances that lead you down a different path as far as what personnel group that you would select to use; but I think it’s a very important part of the offense. We’ll continue to look at that for opportunities to have more consistency in the run game with the use of the fullback. Chandler (Cox) – in the limited snaps that he’s been in on – has done a good job and has performed well on those snaps. It’s just a matter of maybe getting an increased opportunity for him to be out there. It’s something that we always look for in game-planning whether it’s that grouping or other groupings that might help us in the run game, which we definitely need to make improvements on.”
(How are FB Chandler Cox’s hands? Because he hasn’t been thrown a pass this season so far.) – “I think the primary role of that position obviously is as a blocker; but certainly, there should be opportunities in the pass if you’re using that position and trying to have balance with him. Chandler hasn’t had an opportunity to catch the ball in a game, but he certainly has showed the ability to catch the ball at practice, and when we’ve done things with him in the pass game, he’s done a decent job. It’s just a matter of having an opportunity to do it in the game and show he can do it.”
(We know that RB Kalen Ballage’s 1.9 yards per carry average is a team stat, which also reflects on the offensive line and the tight ends and the receivers. With that said, do you think Kalen can do some things better?) – “I do, and I do truly believe it’s a team stat. I believe we’re involved in that as a coaching staff also. We can do a better job of putting Kalen in a position to be more successful. As I’ve said all along, we have confidence in Kalen; but we also know that this is a team effort, and it takes all of the other guys to do their job for him to do his. We can all be better in this area, including the coaching staff – myself first and foremost – of putting him in a position to be successful in the run game. We’re going to work very hard at that, and I think that he’ll have opportunities. My hopes are that he’ll make the best out of those opportunities, and my hopes are that everybody will perform at a level that they need to around him so he can do his job really well.”
(The two times that you used a Wildcat formation against the Bills on Sunday were very successful. Two-part question: what led to the success of those two plays and might you be inclined to use them a little bit more often?) – “I think that it was – it’s nice to have those type of plays in your game plan that are a little bit different. We’ll always look to do something a little bit different. One of the reasons why we were able to do that is because Kalen (Ballage) is good at that. I think he’s done a good job in that position, and there are some decisions you need to make at that position whether to hand the ball or to take and stick your foot in the ground and get vertical like he did on the first play. I think that the first thing is he does that well. I think it’s also important – maybe not only the Wildcat, but to have other things in your offense that might be a little bit different, outside-the-box, to help you when you’re not having as much consistency in the run game as you would like.”
(We see the numbers with WR DeVante Parker. At the start of the season, has anything changed by how you’ve used him or how you planned on using him to how you’re using him now?) – “No, I think that DeVante kind of established early that he was going to be a player that was going to contribute a lot to us, for us, in the pass game, and I think he’s kind of continued to progress. I think (Wide Receivers Coach) Karl Dorrell has done a really good job with him. I’ve spent a lot of time with him individually on working at the finer details of playing the wide receiver position, which I think he’s really been detailed for us and very dependable. I know that the quarterback has a tremendous amount of confidence in him right now, and so do we as an offense. We’ve stressed the importance of other players contributing to the pass game as much as DeVante’s contributed. I know that’s been a real positive for us this year, and we’ll continue to use him; but I think it’s important for these other players to have opportunities as well.”
(In the past, some of the criticism about WR DeVante Parker have been about professionalism and even things as far as taking care of his body, not getting enough sleep, diet. How has all that been with him, and has that contributed to what we’re seeing…?) – “I think he’s been outstanding as far as his overall preparation – what he’s done in the classroom, how he’s developed, how he’s really improved in that area. I think it contributes greatly to his success. I know his preparation right now, I would describe as he’s doing a good job. He’s really been a great example to the other guys in that room of the importance of preparation and how that can really lead to success on the field. I know that DeVante has been somebody that throughout the offseason and up to this point, has really been consistent for us in all areas.”
(WR Jakeem Grant – is it a matter of him just being healthy and how is he evolving in this offense now that he is healthy?) – “I think that the health is really important for him. Obviously if he’s out there, he’s going to have a chance to contribute. I think this last game was a good example of some of the contributions he can make in different ways whether it’s running the football – I know that there were some opportunities that he had in the pass game that really didn’t show up because maybe we had some protection issues, but there definitely some times that he was open and sometimes he was able to be productive for us. I think it’s a matter of increased opportunities for him. His health is something that’s been important, so if you’re out there and you’re available to us as a team, then you’re going to have opportunities to make plays. He’s definitely taken advantage of that here in the last couple weeks.”
(There’s never been a greater disparity than there was Sunday in the number of snaps between TE Mike Gesicki and the tight end who played second-most. In your mind, has he morphed from a guy who’s a specialist as a receiving tight end to a guy whose blocking is competent enough to be a full-time – not every-down tight end – but most-down tight end?) – “Definitely there was an increase in snaps. Some of that was the way the game went for us as far as when it became more pass-oriented there at the end, but he’s definitely developed his game. I don’t see him just as a pass-receiving tight end. I think that he’s really made improvements in that area. We’ve used him on run downs, and it’s good to have the balance to just not only have him out there on pass downs. I think that there’s growing confidence in him on the run downs, and certainly he’ll have opportunities in that area, as he will in the pass game.”
(Philosophically as you build an offense, are you a guy that thinks, “get the quarterback first” or are you a guy who believes, “build the trenches first” or you do it any way you can? How do you view that?) – “I think it happens really almost simultaneously. It’s important – those two positions are so critical to the success of your offense. I think that obviously the offensive line position is very important. The quarterback position – they depend on each other so heavily. That’s the thing about that, is that you really rely so heavily on each other in those areas position-wise. I know that our offensive line situation this year, we’ve had a lot of moving parts and we’re trying to get some continuity, but the quarterback position – just like the running back position in Kalen Ballage – relies so heavily on the 10 other guys out there, including the offensive line.”
(But which would you think is more important if you’re building – or which way would you tend to go or is there a different…?) – “I don’t know if I would say one over the other. I think that all positions are important. Obviously the quarterback position is the most talked about position and is very important to your offense and your organization, but certainly I wouldn’t slight the offensive line and the importance of that position also because without good offensive line play, you’re not going to have good quarterback play for the most part; so I think they really depend on each other.”
(With T Julién Davenport decision, I know this is about getting an evaluation for everybody on the team, but you just mentioned it. Continuity has been such an issue with that unit. Had he out-performed T J’Marcus Webb or is Webb with the shin? What went into the thought process there?) – “I think it’s a combination of factors involved in the choice of Davenport this week. One of which is he was a player that had some real positive signs prior to his injury so we were really looking forward to seeing him again. Just like all positions, injuries definitely factor into that, just the health of a certain player at a certain position; so I think it’s a combination of factors involved in that. Davenport had an opportunity to play and then Webb came in, in place of him because of an injury late in the game. I think it’s something – we always try to get the best guys out there, and it’s an ongoing process for us on the evaluation. We definitely wanted to see Davenport again because we had seen him earlier and there were some real positive signs to what he did earlier, so I think it’s kind of a combination of factors that (are) involved in the choice of him playing this past week.”
(Why did you guys decide to get RB Patrick Laird involved a whole bunch, especially later in the last game?) – “I think that he’s definitely proven over time since he’s been here that he’s very reliable, especially in some of the pass situations. That’s an area that is a strength for him, so as the game became more pass for us late in the game, we have confidence in him in that area that he would go in there and not only produce as a pass-receiving running back, but could also do a good job in protection and handle the multiples of that – just like I think our other backs can. I have confidence in Kalen (Ballage) and (Myles) Gaskin that they could go in there and function both in the pass game and the run game, and I don’t have to alter what I’m calling as the play-caller because one guy’s in there, relative to the next guy.”
(Very quickly – RB Myles Gaskin’s performance? I think seven snaps – I know he had the dropped pass, but what did you think?) – “I thought again, this is the second week in which he’s had limited snaps, but the snaps that he’s had, he’s done (a) good (job) on. He’s been dependable as far as his assignment. I know he had the tough ball that would have been a tough catch on the 1(-yard line), but he really has been dependable for us in preparation. He kind of continues to be dependable for us on the limited snaps he has and if he continues to do that, he’ll have increased opportunities for us offensively.”
Allen Hurns – November 18, 2019
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Monday, November 18, 2019
WR Allen Hurns
(Your reactions, your thoughts on getting the contract extension?) – “Right now I’m not really thinking about that. There is too much to think about in the game.”
(How tough was that fumble? When you watch it, it looks like you really never had control. But when you slow it down – how tough was that when you have the momentum going and something like that happens?) – “It’s very tough, especially with a big momentum change, especially right after we got the onside kick. That’s just something that’s totally unacceptable. The good thing about that is it’s all on me. It’s something that I can fix. I’m just eager to get back to practice and look myself in the mirror and move on from it.”
(Was it something that you were trying to make a play too soon before worrying about getting the ball first?) – “Yeah. I was pretty much trying to make more of it rather than securing the ball and securing the catch and then move from there.”
(What was it about you wanting to be here beyond this year that made that contract appealing to you?) – “It’s a lot of reasons; but the main thing is I see where this program is headed. Just the last few weeks, you’ve seen the progress of where we’re headed and the camaraderie built on this team. Just being around here with the guys, I feel really good going forward, so that meant a lot to me.”
(What’s in store for the future here do you think?) – “I think the main thing as far as us is you can see the camaraderie and things like that, but we’re going to get to a level where we’re winning consistently. There’s a lot of things holding us back right now, like me when I fumbled that ball, and things like that; but once we get to a level where we’re doing things consistently, we’ll win on a consistent level.”
(They always say to put the wins behind you real quick and the losses you have to put behind quick, but it’s hard. I can sense it in the way you’re feeling right now. How hard is it to put those losses behind you?) – “It’s tough. It’s tough but that’s the thing about football: each week is a new week. Right now it weighs heavy on you because you don’t have anything to do and we haven’t had practice yet, but I think once I get back out to practice Wednesday, I can put it behind me. Right now you just have to learn from it. (When you) watch film and see things like that, it’s going to weigh heavy on you because you feel like you let your teammates down. At the end of the day, like I said, you look at yourself in the mirror and you’re able to move on from it.”
(How would you describe your season? You came in and now you’ve worked your way into the starting lineup, how satisfying was that?) – “It’s been good. It’s been one crazy journey for me, especially coming off of this injury – training camp, on the cusp of making the team or not making the team. That’s the thing, that’s what I love about this receiving group: we came in and we came ready to work each and every day. They accepted me. We really play for each other. When Preston (Williams) went down, that meant a lot of us had to step up. You saw that this past Sunday. A lot of guys were making plays, whether it’s Jakeem (Grant), Albert (Wilson) – Albert is getting back to himself. That just shows where we’re at as a group. There is not any selfishness or anything like that. We all play as one.”
(When you signed with the Dolphins, were you thinking this could be a place you could be for a while, or were you pretty much just looking at this year?) – “I was really just thinking about this year, just short term as far as me just showing people how I’m able to rebound off of my injury and things like that. I wasn’t thinking of anything long term. Just come in each day and take it one day at a time.”
Vince Biegel – November 18, 2019
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Monday, November 18, 2019
LB Vince Biegel
(On the Bills game yesterday) – “Obviously we broke down the tape today, and I think ‘Coach Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) said it best: what we did yesterday wasn’t the Miami Dolphins. I think for us, what we do is – the best thing we can do is get back to the basics and that’s having a great week of practice (and) getting back to the fundamentals – tackling, understanding our alignments and our assignments, our techniques. I think we’ve got so much talent in this locker room, and I really do think that we’ve got a lot of great young talent. When we are able to go out there and play loose, play free and play for each other, great things happen. There’s a lot of good things on film from yesterday, but there’s a lot of things that we need to correct, and I think this week is a time to address those things, correct them and move forward to the Cleveland Browns.”
(I know you guys have spoken on defense about “bend but don’t break” and it seemed liked early on, they got their yards, but you guys seemed to hold them at least to field goals. Did it wear down towards the middle of the game, end of the game?) – “I thought we were stingy at times, but I also thought we gave up some chunk plays as well. Through the passing game, through the run game, there are definitely some plays that we’ve got to get better at from a gap standpoint, speaking as a front-seven guy. I think the biggest thing for me is, I think we need to create and generate more pressure on the quarterback. Creating and generating pressure makes everybody – the back end’s life easier, the linebackers’ life easier. Overall as a defense, there’s a lot of things we can improve on, but overall, I’m still – I know the media wants to kind of say the Miami Dolphins are downhill – but listen to me, I love this team. There are a lot of great things to look forward to, and what it starts with is having a great week of practice and continuing to improve every single day, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
(So looking forward here, Browns QB Baker Mayfield and that offense – why, they haven’t been clicking like everybody thought they would, but they’re pretty dangerous. They’ve got some dangerous guys on that side, no?) – “I literally just flipped the page on the Buffalo Bills corrections. The little tape I’ve seen is – Baker Mayfield is a great quarterback. They’ve got a great young, great back with – now Kareem Hunt – Nick Chubb, Odell Beckham, Jarvis Landry. They’ve brought in a lot of great pieces to have that offense go well. They’ve also got a very good offensive line, so I think we have our work cut out for us, but I’m excited for the challenge, and I know ‘PG’ (Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham) is going to put another great game plan in for us to thrive in and go from.”
